Community, identity and contested notions of place: a study of Haitian recreational soccer players in the Dominican Republic

Nicholas Wise, John Harris

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Soccer is a sport not commonly associated with the Dominican Republic given the positioning of baseball as the national game. Yet, for some migrant groups in the country, such as those from Haiti, soccer plays an important part in their lives. Haitians have used soccer as a way to unite their communities and establish a sense of place. This paper assesses how these Haitian migrants use the game as a means of creating a community and developing a common focal point. Through participant observations and semi-structured interviews, this work may help us construct new understandings of the ways in which migrants use sport to assimilate to new surroundings and retain links to home.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)610-627
Number of pages18
JournalSoccer and Society
Volume17
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 3 2016
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Psychology
  • Cultural Studies
  • Sociology and Political Science

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